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atutt002

Are you ready to create and manage a green travel policy? | PhocusWire - 1 views

www.phocuswire.com/green-travel-policy-tips

technology hospitality travel green

shared by atutt002 on 09 Jun 20 - No Cached
  • Without going into technical details, it seems widely accepted that aviation accounted for around 900 million tons of CO2 emission (CO2E) in 2018 equal to an estimated 2.4% of total global emissions (12% of total transportation-related CO2E), and this number is sadly forecast to triple to more than 2,700 million tons of CO2 by 2050.Despite the fact that airlines have become significantly more fuel efficient, we are experiencing a dramatic growth in total aviation emission as the number of planes flying more hours per day keeps growing much faster than the gains made in fuel efficiency.However, because most of the emission happens at high altitude during the actual flight, the “net emission impact” is considered by experts to be twice that number and then further increased due to the amount of energy that goes into production of aviation fuel.
  • Define your travel program targets for CO2E per day, month, quarter or year
  • Select travel services based on emission rather than price
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • Simplify CO2E offset models
  • Carbon traveler program
  • Traveler behavior changes
  • Green airports
  • Avoidance of short‐haul travel
  • creating a basic model for calculating your CO2E in 2020 if you are a buyer and establishing some credible data points for your customers to use if you are a supplier.
  • yijingyang on 09 Jun 20
     
    The CO2E in travel industry is very high. Author provides serval ways for both buyer and supplier to design a green travel program. These solutions including personal travel plan, CO2E offset models, booking method, CO2E assign, green travel service, behavior changes, and airports designs.
jackyreis

The Online Revolution in the Hospitality Industry | SGS - 0 views

www.sgs.com/...on-in-the-hospitality-industry

shared by jackyreis on 15 Jun 20 - No Cached
  • How does a customer relate to a brand? How does a hotel understand and control its virtual image? In a Web 2.0 world, hotels need to be in control of their online image to protect their brand and encourage growth.
  • Currently, 88.1% of the population in North America is online, 80.2% of Europeans are online, with lesser but growing percentages in the other areas of the world.
  • Globally, 3,885,567,619 people were registered as online users in June 2017 and this trend is to continue with service providers seeking to exploit new territories.1
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • It is estimated around 69% of online people will use social media when considering booking a trip, with 44% of customers acknowledging they would only book a hotel after reading an online review. Studies have also shown that 74% of travelers will now write some form of online assessment of their trip.2 
  • 52% of Facebook users indicated that the photographs on their friends Facebook page had a direct impact upon their decisions when booking future holidays.4
  • Research has shown that up to 98% of people believe TripAdvisor reviews are trustworthy.8
  • The site holds one of the largest collections of photographs in the online world and has a resource of well over 200 million reviews.6 Every month, these reviews are accessed by over 260 million unique users.7
  • Each year, it is estimated TripAdvisor is responsible for over $10 billion in online travel purchases in the US alone.5 It lists over 890,000 establishments, covering more than 45 countries
  • Consumers are willing to believe social media reviews because they think they are written by people like themselves.
  • There have been several instances where positive reviews have been shown to be written by members of staff.
  • The assumption is, the person reviewing is like ‘me’ and the problem is, they aren’t. The reviewer may come from a very different background, have very difference experiences of the types of hotel they are staying in. From this perspective, it is clear to see their review will be biased, either positively or negatively. In either instance, the value of the review is diminished.
  • They can no longer afford to use the same systems that worked effectively 20-30 years ago.
  • Technology has moved on and the hotel sector must adapt to utilize it.10
  • This can be through positive reviews on TripAdvisor or the sharing of unique content on social media.11 The days of ignoring negative comments are gone, the hospitality sector must be prepared to use social media to its advantage and be ready to respond to negative observations in an appropriate way.
  • jackyreis on 15 Jun 20
     
    This article highlights the reality that online reviews can ultimately directly affect the hospitality industry because practically 90% of the population in North America is online. Online reviews can define whether a hotel or airline is the best option for travel, and influence others whether they'd be willing to travel depending on these reviews. The idea is that the Hospitality Industry has to adapt and continue to change as new ideas begin to develop and become the new norm.
abroo041

Proximity Marketing | What is Proximity Marketing? - 0 views

www.marketing-schools.org/...proximity-marketing.html

shared by abroo041 on 16 Jun 20 - No Cached
    • abroo041
      abroo041 on 16 Jun 20
       
      This website discusses what proximity marketing is, who uses it, the target market, and how a proximity marketing plan is created and implemented. Proximity marketing is the use of cellular technology to market to mobile device users within a certain radius of a business. Almost every business uses proximity marketing in different ways. A restaurant might use it to advertise a new promotional meal, while an airport may use it to provide maps and promote their destination to tourists. The target market is anyone with a mobile device. Knowing your goal of marketing is the first step in creating a proximity marketing plan. Understanding the quick nature of these marketing advertisements and tailoring them to provide the most essential information and attract the viewer, all within a short message, is also important to successful marketing.
  • Locations such as shopping malls, large retail outlets, and trade shows, where consumers are generally planning to spend at least an hour or two, are prime areas for a proximity marketing campaign.
  • Proximity marketing helps companies and service agencies do just that
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • Proximity marketing—also sometimes called hyperlocal marketing—uses cellular technology to send marketing messages to mobile-device users who are in close proximity to a business.
  • While the audience is limited to those in the proximity of the business and those using its Wi-fi or Bluetooth signal, the message is very user friendly and reaches those most likely to visit a store. Who employs Proximity Marketing?
  • Major retailers, such as Ikea or Macy’s, can send store maps and coupons or offers to apply for their credit card or to enroll in their loyalty or rewards programs. Hotels can inform guests about on-site events and promotions or can offer to enroll them in loyalty or rewards programs. Restaurants can send special menus/daily specials, coupons, offers for loyalty programs, or perhaps send trivia questions or other games to help them pass the time while they wait for their table to be ready. Shopping malls can offer a proximity marketing benefit to their tenants by putting together a package of coupons or offer a discount at any mall retailer. Travel hubs such as airports and public transportation centers can provide maps or display ads that can be sold to local tourist destinations. General information about a product or service can be delivered through proximity marketing even if the fixed location of the business or service agency changes
  • This makes just about every consumer with a smart phone potentially susceptible to a proximity marketing campaign, particularly younger, tech-savvy shoppers who are more likely to own smartphone and use them while shopping.
  • With mobile devices becoming a staple of modern society and the preferred way of accessing digital content, today’s successful marketing professionals will need to understand how to connect successfully with mobile consumers.
  • One of the key benefits of proximity marketing is that its messages reach a high percentage of potential customers who are in the area.
  • The main purpose of the proximity marketing plan is to connect with customers while they are near your business or service and spur them into action
  • In the case of mobile messaging, it’s important to consider adding an opt-in component to your campaign.
  • More and more, customers value control over the messages they receive and desire privacy from unwanted solicitations
  • Mobile devices are made for short messages and quick interaction, and there is intense competition for the attention and time of the mobile device user. Therefore, in developing a proximity marketing plan, messages must be sharpened and honed to be as clear, concise, and impactful as possible.
  • If the goal is to drive as much traffic as possible to the business and maximize sales that day, then an electronic coupon or special offer might be the best strategy. If the store has a high turnover rate, the goal may be to make a connection with customers by offering them incentives to return.
  • The digital and interactive nature of most proximity marketing campaigns provides the advantage of real-time data collection of response and success rates. If a message is failing to connect, it can be easily and quickly adjusted.
jackyreis

Hotel Technology Is Highly Important Now | .TR - 0 views

www.tourism-review.com/y-save-your-business-news11504

shared by jackyreis on 13 Jul 20 - No Cached
  • COVID-19 FORCES BUSINESSES TO INVEST IN HOTEL TECHNOLOGY
  • A health crisis that quickly turned into an economic crisis, COVID-19 has a particularly strong impact on tourism and the hotel industry. After the pandemic, hotels will need to find new techniques to limit their losses and make up for lost profits. Innovative hotel technology and investments in customer relations may be of great help.
  • Normally, 98% of visitors leave a hotel site without making a reservation
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  • Booking Options Remains Available
  • Offering flexible terms and conditions in their booking engine or the possibility of cancelling their stay by leaving a deposit will reassure the traveler and ensure the hotel's cash flow.
  • Thanks to a price comparison widget on the hotel's website (vs. the price on OTAs), the visitor will be able to see live that he or she will get a better deal by booking on the hotel's official website.
  • Live Chat
  • Chat hotel technology is a good communication channel on websites.
  • Although there are robotic chats, having a human on the other side of the screen becomes almost essential right now as visitors are looking for real contact.
  • A live chat will make the booking process more fluid and personalized.
  • During this rather special period, it will also be an effective means of reassuring customers about the hygiene measures and precautions put in place when business resumes.
  • Social Networks
  • During this period of crisis, social networks are useful to show that the hotel's teams are ready for the resumption of activity by showing, for example, the "backstage". It could also be a good idea to show that life is resuming post-confinement, by presenting local mini-guide highlighting activities in the surrounding area.
  • Means of Payment
  • Offering flexible means of payment allows an optimization of the entire purchasing process: combining two means of payment (gift card and credit card), PayPal... The more numerous and flexible they are, the less likely visitors will abandon their shopping basket.
  • Setting up a Call Center
  • Setting up a call center makes it possible to delegate incoming calls and maximize reservations by putting customer relations at the forefront. The DNA of the hotel business is the "service", and today's travelers are looking for quality support from the moment they make a reservation.
  • Emails, Emails
  • Emailing is an excellent way to keep in touch with the traveler, as long as it is not abused.
  • Emailing is a good way to communicate about a destination by offering packages or gift boxes including accommodation and activities. For example, a city hotel can offer a package of "3 nights stay and 3 visits to the historical monuments of the city".
  • During confinement, it is essential to build customer loyalty and to advise customers in order to maintain a bond
  • When business resumes, it will be necessary to prioritize customer relations. Hotel technology will be the tools that will enable the offer to be personalized and make a difference to over-solicited travelers. The season will be short this summer for hoteliers, who will have to redouble their efforts to attract travelers.
rhoff019

Technology In The Front, Nothing In The Back? | By Kristin Carville - Hospitality Net - 0 views

www.hospitalitynet.org/...4099296.html

shared by rhoff019 on 08 Jul 20 - No Cached
  • In some cases, the reason is that hotels are unaware of the various technology available that can assist them in these areas. In other cases, it's because the attitude towards spending money and/or time on technology is still rather reserved.
  • Visualize supervisors finding out that a room is ready to be inspected the moment the housekeeper has finished cleaning it. Imagine being able to know exactly how long a housekeeper took to clean a room and whether the quality of work meets the hotel's standards. Perhaps, you want to be able to know exactly who is fulfilling a guest request when it comes in, and the status of progress? Or you want to find a guest's bags without having to visit all 5 rooms that are being used for storage? Or maybe you want to be able to track how your preventive maintenance is going.
  • The great news is that there are already technology solutions out there readily available to do these actions for hotels.
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  • However, these programs allow staff - from management to the room attendants - to know exactly what is happening in the hotel right at that exact moment, which is of vital importance.
  • One of the other great challenges that these programs can address is the collection of data, and the ability to produce factual reports on areas that have historically been based purely on anecdotal evidence. Whereas before, there would be rough estimates on how long each room would take to be cleaned, this information is now collected from the software and can be tabulated and reported however the hotel needs it. It also eliminates the need to go trawling back through overflowing filing cabinets to find out the frequency and cost of previous repairs - everything is now all collated together and much more easily accessible.
  • These days with the use of apps, barcodes, and QR codes, a simple luggage tag can be a valuable way to be able to record exactly where an item is and how it has moved around the hotel from storeroom to guest room
  • how hotels can deliver these experiences is changing, and hotels must move with the times and arm themselves with the tools of today to deliver this
  • rhoff019 on 08 Jul 20
     
    Many hotels are stuck with old ways of doing things such as giving housekeepers lists of rooms to clean on paper. Many of the essential functions of hotels such as housekeeping, keeping track of guest requests, and preventative maintenance have different apps or software that can be used to keep track of all of that information. Hotels generally are not the first to implement new technology that is available. If hotels did implement technology that is currently available or in development, many jobs in the hotel can be completed faster by utilizing the technology.
marble_bird

CloudBasedvsDesktopBased_PMSHotels.pdf - 0 views

shared by marble_bird on 09 Jul 20 - No Cached
  • Even though keeping up with the modern developments in IT sector is crucial for the success and competitiveness of a hotel, it is usually very hard for new technologies to be accepted and implemented.
  • On the example of hotel property management system (PMS) and comparison between features of its older desktop-version and new web-based programs, this research aims at finding out at which stage and how effective is usage of cloud technology in hotels.
  • Constant innovation in hardware, software, and network developments and applications means that only dynamic organizations that can respond efficiently and effectively to these innovations, will be able to outperform their competitors and maintain their long-term prosperity.
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  • It is crucial for tourism and hospitality practitioners to proactively incorporate new technologies into their businesses as these will improve service quality and differentiate their products and services.
  • In order to be able to follow the increasing guests' requests for qualitative services, it is mandatory for hotel management to constantly work on improving its functions and operations. For this it is necessary to keep track of innovations in sectors outside the hospitality, like IT sector that works on creating, developing and introducing new technologies
  • Hospitality is one of targeted sector that is considered appropriate for application of cloud technologies and services. Hotel Management System or widely known as Property Management System (PMS) is one of the system where IT practitioners saw the chance for improvement by ''moving it to the cloud''.
  • Hotels will be forced to upgrade their current systems so that they can respond to various and changeable guests' habits and requirements. However, until today, there was not enough academic papers related to usage of cloud technology in hospitality industry even though this sector is under continuous changes caused by usage of new technologies which made search, evaluation and payment of the hotel rooms easier than ever.
  • After comparing the two groups of hotels, from which one was using desktop PMS and other group cloud- based PMS, the results of the research were derived and presented. In conclusion of the paper, challenges with which the hotels are facing and which affect their decision of starting to use cloud- based technology as well as recommendation for future work will be discussed.
  • As stated by the Sharif (2010), cloud computing is the latest technology that is being introduced by the IT industry as the next (potential) revolution to change how the internet and information systems operate. The term “cloud” was probably inspired by IT text books’ illustrations which depicted remote environments (the Internet) as cloud images in order to conceal the complexity that lies behind them (Sultan,2010).
  • The goal of a new computing world is to develop software for millions to consume by easily accessing it over a network. Cloud service providers are making profit by charging consumers for accessing these services.
  • Products offered via this mode include the remote delivery (through the Internet) of a full computer infrastructure (e.g., virtual computers, servers, storage devices, etc.); the building blocks of an IT enterprise.
  • Services provided in this category include CPU processing on demand, virtual Web hosting, and storage on demand. The most notable vendors are Amazon’s EC2, GoGrid’s Cloud Servers, and Joyent.
  • With cloud computing, services and applications that were managed locally in the past requiring hardware, operating systems, web servers, as well as teams of network, database and system management experts are now provided remotely by cloud providers under this layer.
  • Cloud computing services can be adopted by firms in three different forms (Goscinski and Brock, 2010):
  • Public clouds - online applications that are open to everyone for free, such as Google
  • Private clouds - involves firms deploying key enabling technologies, such as virtualization and multi-tenant applications, to create their own private cloud database
  • Hybrid clouds - mix of the previous two types that are emerging with the intention of providing clients with a level of “control” over their resources
  • The cloud offers enterprises the option of scalability without the financial commitments required for infrastructure purchase and maintenance.
  • Reallocating information management operational activities to the cloud offers businesses a unique opportunity to focus efforts on innovation and research and development. This allows for business and product growth and may be even more beneficial than the financial advantages offered by the cloud.
  • These investments and efforts for a new technology to be presented open a new progress circle of technology advancements and it continues in the same way.
  • When creating software or an application for a hotel, IT personnel have to possess a certain level of flexibility, openness and creativity. On the other hand, hotel employees are expected to have more insightful and openminded approach towards new ways of performing business operations, sometimes take risks and have experiences with using different programs and applications.
  • A hotel's PMS can gather and keep valuable information about hotel guests by incorporating business intelligence tools which help hoteliers organize and make sense of the gathered data. Regardless of whether room reservations come from Online Travel Agency, Global Distribution Systems or by telephone, all of them are gathered, stored and managed in the PMS.
  • low investment costs were main reason for hotels from Group B to decide in favor of cloud based version.
  • Business intelligence options provide hoteliers with a threedimensional view of guest data, which allows easily statistical reporting and increased hotel management efficiency.
  • The aim of this study was to investigate the difference in practical usage of the two types of PMS systems – cloud based and classical (desktop) ones.
  • On the question about the reasons for using the current PMS type in hotels, answers of Group A were based on usage of their current PMS for years and on the fact that employees in all hotel departments were used to work on it. As time passed by, hotels upgraded their system to new versions for several times and additional customization was implemented with regard to hotel preferences.
  • Hotels from Group B were consisted of relatively new boutique hotels that operate for more than a year and from those that were not using any kind of PMS solution (they were using Excel tables and creating reservation records manually). The reason why hotels from this group wanted to use cloud PMS was a desire to try the latest technology used in hospitality industry.
  • Other reasons for using it were: PMS could be reached from any place where Internet connection is available, simple but effective design with lots of visual solutions, more options to enter the important information and the fact that it is working not only on any PC but also on any mobile device due to its mobile applications.
  • Simplicity of the cloud based property management system allows it to be productive. Cloud based PMS's can operate on any advice that has a web browser and the companies are putting their efforts to make it even more friendly on smaller devices like tablets and smart phones.
  • The similar amount of initial investments were confirmed by the Group A. Being considered as great amount of money for newly opened and small sized hotels to invest, management decided to try out the cloud version which allows access to this system based on monthly subscription with very little or no investment cost, depending on the solution provider.
  • After initial investments in the system implementation, hardware, software and training of employees, every year hotel makes a one-year-based contract for additional support services and, if needed, extra training. Support is provided any time a hotel reports an issue or malfunction by directly connecting to hotel's computer through remote programs.
  • Changes are made either for each hotel at a time, or after releasing new version, when provider try to convince all the current users to upgrade to it. Upgrade is provided by the extra charge, so these costs should be also considered during planning investments in classical PMS.
  • Regardless of which type of system they used, all participants were very careful about and interested in the matter of data security.
  • However, it is totally different situation with cloud based system, which is mainly open system where all authorized users and providers from outside have access to. Of course, it is up to hotel management to whom the authorization rights will be given and being an open system it makes support, development and innovation activities much easier. Cloud based PMS are hosted on some of the world's best known servers so there is no need for additional computers to be used as servers.
  • Although there are some great differences in functions and way of managing regarding classical and cloud based system, both have their advantages from which hotels do not want to give up.
  • One of the biggest advantages of cloud based PMS for the Group B is the fact that this system can be directly integrated with hotel online booking engine. This is considered as a great advantage for the hotels that besides having functional web site, wish to maximize use of its online booking engine, receive more online reservations directly from the guests and gain more profit.
  • Such a functional connection between hotel’s PMS and online reservation system allow hotels to have a social media integration as well. This means that hotels are able to receive online reservation through their Facebook page as well as receive direct links to its page from the biggest review sites such as TripAdvior.com.
  • In this paper two different approaches and perspectives on usage of cloud based and classical hotel management systems were exposed. Hotels from Group B have shown a tendency for usage of new technologies and readiness to adopt and continuously learn about them.
  • Among factors, affecting why hotel prefers one system over another, are type and size of hotel, through which channels are guest reservations coming, previous experience with IT stuff and different programs, etc.
  • Cloud based program can help them in order to update prices and room availability information to hotel's booking engine. This prevents overbooking, provides easily management of CRM functions and information, with no first investment costs or extra expenses which results in revenue increase.
  • Hotels that use classical PMS pay a great attention to the security issue because they do not want to risk opening their hotel for external intervention. In recent years we can find in media lots of evidence of information linkage from system that had much higher security measures than an average hotel.
  • Measuring the performance of cloud-provided services is another challenge for the hotel management, primarily due to the lack of measurement standards.
  • While investigating the previous knowledge about the other system solutions, hotels in Group A have claimed lack of information about the cloud technology and its solutions.
  • Even though IT stuff in these hotels has some basic knowledge about it, it is still not enough to convince the other managers about its benefits. Therefore it may be concluded that, besides trying to overcome the above mentioned challenges, developers of cloud based solutions to hotels should also work hard on training the potential clients about the positive aspects and correct usage of cloud technologies.
  • Lack of measurement standards for cloud-provided services in general as well as for hotels is another important limitation due to which qualitative research was conducted. Authors’ recommendation is that academicians should focus more on topics of cloud computing, cloud solutions for other business operations and on defining measurements standards for cloud services.
  • marble_bird on 09 Jul 20
     
    This article, published in 2015, covers a study performed in Turkey to analyze factors in hotels that lead management to prefer desktop-based PMS over cloud-based PMS or vice versa. The study uses qualitative research to determine the reasons for the usage of PMS and the advantages and disadvantage of either system. The study found that, among others, significant factors that contribute to the form of PMS implemented by mangement may include the size of the property, reservation channels, and prior level of IT experience.
anonymous

Why You Need Event Management Software - 3 views

blog.bizzabo.com/need-event-management-software

technology hospitality software event management

shared by anonymous on 05 Nov 19 - No Cached
  • events account for the single largest marketing expense for most B2B marketing departments.
  • one of the greatest contributing factors to the explosion of live events is an explosion of innovation in live event technology.
  • event management software (EMS) is a solution that assists event organizers in driving success through all aspects of their events—from event registration and event check-in, to event promotion and reporting
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 05 Nov 19
       
      EMS makes the event planner's job a little bit easier by assisting them and giving them an advanced technological organization tool that helps them plan events.
  • ...19 more annotations...
  • One technology that the majority of these organizations are investing in is event management software.
  • Because event management software integrates all of the tools that an event organizer needs into one platform, it’s easy to work quickly, securely and with more rich insights at the ready.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 05 Nov 19
       
      It is an all-in-one system that allows them to access anything they may need.
  • Events like concerts or shows would not be a good fit for event management software, as these types of events are focused more narrowly on driving ticket sales.
  • Before event management software, event organizers needed to rely on third-party website building tools like Wordpress or Squarespace for designing their websites quickly
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 05 Nov 19
       
      Event Website Naturally whenever there is an event people will want to go online and check for event details. Especially nowadays with cellphones and the internet it is much faster to go to the website than to call and ask.
  • an EMS should come with a tool for easily creating an event website with a drag and drop builder
  • An event registration tool is used for processing registrations or ticket sales. In the past, event organizers needed to rely on a provider that specializes in event registration.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 05 Nov 19
       
      Event Registration It is important that this is done properly and in an organized way so that the event won't be a catastrophe or a failed event.
  • This event registration tool also integrates with a variety of other functions so that event organizers can just as easily manage smaller events as they can manage an international event series.
  • Event management software should come equipped with a suite of event marketing tools
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 05 Nov 19
       
      Event Marketing Promoting the event is equally as important because this is how you bring in clients, this is how people will know about the event. Email is a great way to promote your events as it sends the event flyer straight to your clients.
  • the single-most effective channel for promoting an event is email
  • it is not uncommon for event management software to boast their own email marketing tools
  • Some EMS platforms come equipped with additional tools for promoting your event
  • Attendees are looking for increasingly personalized experience that help them feel like they are part of the action.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 05 Nov 19
       
      Attendee Engagement App People want to feel like they are a part of the event, they want to feel involved. It is also a way for the event planners to know information about their clients.
  • The modern EMS should come with an attendee engagement app that enable attendees to network, communicate with one another, and otherwise take part in your event.
  • In addition to increasing attendee satisfaction and winning over event sponsors, event organizers will also be able to surface rich insights about their attendees’ behaviors and preferences.
  • With all-in-one event management software, organizers can view data in many ways—resulting in more insights and better decision-making.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 05 Nov 19
       
      Reporting and Analytics With the software, event planners could receive and view data about their attendees in order to make better decisions.
  • Likewise, an event organizer can integrate their event management system with their marketing automation system to send out large emails campaigns that may include, but go beyond the scope of just those who registered at an event.
  • Fortunately, many EMS do come with comprehensive integrations.
  • Events are becoming more prevalent than ever and event management software is what is allowing them to do so
  • the modern event management software does more than just manage events—it empowers organizers to unleash the power of live events and ultimately drive event success
  • anonymous on 05 Nov 19
     
    This article discusses the importance of Event Management Software(EMS).
yvenisem

Going livestream: How in-person summits have become virtual events - 0 views

www.cnbc.com/...ave-become-virtual-events.html

shared by yvenisem on 14 Sep 20 - No Cached
    • yvenisem
      yvenisem on 14 Sep 20
       
      My thoughts exactly, there is a missing element
  • So how can a business possibly recreate that kind of experience online?
  • there’s been increased dependency on technology to help support business continuity
  • ...8 more annotations...
    • yvenisem
      yvenisem on 14 Sep 20
       
      I think the reason for this is that many people don't have the funds or time to travel long distances, but this format is much more accessible. Plus, it was free so that helps lol
  • adding that the online event had more than three times the usual number of registrations
    • yvenisem
      yvenisem on 14 Sep 20
       
      relates a lot to this week's discussion on relying on tech too much
  • (the virtual conference was free to attend this year, whereas it usually costs upwards of $1,000)
  • created 14 local events in various languages and time zones, with regional heads addressing their relevant markets.
    • yvenisem
      yvenisem on 14 Sep 20
       
      This is definitely much more accessible. This can also do well in terms of revenue for future events
  • switching to being an online speaker isn’t quite the same. “You don’t have the body language, you don’t have the eye contact,” she explained.
    • yvenisem
      yvenisem on 14 Sep 20
       
      This would be my main concerns in producing events. I feel like ther has to be a personal element to it instead of just looking at people through acomputer screen
  • vents organizers may be encouraged to film their speakers in a way that works better for a small-screen format, instead of the usual “dark room with a very small person,
    • yvenisem
      yvenisem on 14 Sep 20
       
      this could be a hybrid thing
  • “While online events might seem less permanent, there’s actually a much higher chance that any misdemeanors or breaches of copyright or online regulation will be captured or stored.”
    • yvenisem
      yvenisem on 14 Sep 20
       
      I never considered this, but this definitely has to be something to consider when in something like this
  • yvenisem on 14 Sep 20
     
    One of the main reasons why I chose this article is because my industry is currently seein a huge shift in the way we do things that can either stay or have impressions in the industry after COVID. One of the main concerns when it came to in-person events going online is how we would be able to recreate the same experience. Several large events that see thousands of people had to convert to online platforms. For example, "in 2019, around 20,000 people attended SAP's Sapphire Now conference in Orlando". Imagine 20,000 people logging on to view the same same content an then some! In this case, the event saw larger audiences with "more than three times the usual number of registrations". Granted, the conference was free to attend this year. However, now that this conference was more accessible to people who in normal circumstance would be unable to attend due to time and fianancial constraints, it was a no-brainer that more people would attend. This bodes very well in terms of revenue for the future since if those extra 40,000 people enjoyed it, they would most likely be willing to pay for the service and consider the event and investment. I think the wider topic of the article is accessibility. Before technology, it was harder to bridge the gap between the haves and the have nots. Now that technology is becoming more accessible (in the first world), many are better able to see beneficial information. Not only that, but when considering the "14 local events in various languages and time zones", people are better able to cast wider nets. This article wasn't all good, however. One thing that many people have not adressed that I as an event professional am concerned about is the fact that going online is just not the same. A speaker said in an interview that it's harder to ready body language, which can impact how much a speaker is able to reach their audience. Another thing that has to be given intense consideration is the fact that there can be some legal ramifica
jwilc019

Setting Course for a Post-COVID Era in Hospitality | By Jason Floyd - 0 views

www.hospitalitynet.org/...4100166.html

shared by jwilc019 on 12 Sep 20 - No Cached
  • harpening their focus on the kinds of technology that can evolve and align their businesses with where the industry is headed. They've been asking the essential question: How will we be doing business in the future?
  • A key step is uncoupling from legacy systems and their limitations in favor of the cloud and SaaS-based solutions
  • unify everything brand-wide during a time when responding quickly to external forces is essential.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • more intelligently invest in new technologies that integrate with each other without putting undue pressure on technology teams.
  • so hospitality organizations are better able to share resources and insights no matter where departments and team members happen to be
  • For hotel property management systems, for instance, developments such as mobile reservations, self-managed upgrades, and the use of mobile devices as room keys supports a "high-tech not high-touch" approach to contactless guest experiences.
  • empowering service staff with greater visibility of timelines, schedules, and activities
  • gain greater precision in that process to avoid double-bookings, manage overstays, account for no-shows and other considera
  • tions
  • If the pandemic ended tomorrow, the value of developing a cloud-based platform with this kind of functionality would remain.
  • Consider our present times as a clarion call to hoteliers to create more visibility, deepen connections between teams, increase intelligence, and empower staff to better anticipate and be ready for that change.
  • jwilc019 on 12 Sep 20
     
    This article deals with hospitality businesses asking themselves how business will be done in the future and how will stay current or ahead of the curve. It also speaks directly to how to be better prepared for events like COVID moving forward. It states that hospitality businesses need to quit holding on tightly to their old systems and think to the now and beyond by switching to cloud-based systems. It highlights the concept of "high-tech not high-touch", empowering service staff, greater accuracy, and making use of every nook and cranny of a property in the smartest possible ways.
keoctave

3 Keys to Staying Ahead of the Curve in the Technology Business - ArchiTECH Solutions - 1 views

www.architechsolutions.com/rve-in-the-technology-business

shared by keoctave on 07 Mar 20 - No Cached
  • Things change.  They just do.  From the fast food industry to microcomputer manufacturers, if you aren’t anticipating change, you are failing…or you soon will be. 
  • Either that, or by jumping on the bandwagon with the biggest draw and ride it with a forward looking eye, scouting out the next up-and-coming innovation to which you may need adapt and/or adopt
  • Regardless, you must be ready to respond when the changes present themselves.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • Taking action means understanding the new thing or idea or concept, capturing its potential, and putting it into action. 
  • customers are your best barometer for what’s worth capturing and what’s not. 
  • Sometimes that’s easier said than done, but without decisive leadership, you are not going to succeed in moving your team forward.
  • There is no 100% surefire solution to staying on top, but you must try to get in and stay in the game. 
  • When well-intentioned plans go awry, you must be able to rebound and redirect your plans and goals in a new way. 
  • No guts, no glory.
  • yuqiongliang on 07 Mar 20
     
    When well-intentioned plans go awry, you must be able to rebound and redirect your plans and goals in a new way.
  • keoctave on 13 Jul 20
     
    We see that this article shares with us three ways in which we can stay ahead of the curve. they broke it down by saying we need to 1. Anticipate- not only whats coming next, but also the play. 2.Capture-Taking action, understanding the new thing, idea or concept. 3. Lead- with decisive leadership you are not going to succeed in moving your team forward,
  • hankunli on 23 Jul 20
     
    It is a smart article that linked baseball with business moves. It mentioned 3 things needed to stay ahead of the curve of business. The things were 1. Anticipate: know the transitions ahead and try to respond to them. 2. Capture: realize what needed to do and try to fulfill the needs. In business, customers are barometers. Businessmen need to capture the needs of customers and satisfy them. 3. Lead: to be a leader and make bold decisions to move the team forward in the business. Leaders also need to find out the best path. It sounds like "no guts, no glory."
obena010

Attendify Launches Virtual Event Platform to Boost Industry Resiliency | Corporate Even... - 0 views

www.corporateeventnews.com/...form-boost-industry-resiliency

event

shared by obena010 on 26 Jul 20 - No Cached
  • Attendify’s goal for its new platform is to help make the industry resilient.
  • Through Attendify for Virtual Events, event organizers can build out a modern virtual experience that engages attendees much like a traditional event would, without requiring them to physically travel to the event’s location.
  • “You can’t recreate the in-person experience virtually, it just doesn’t work. That’s why we’re thrilled to launch our virtual events platform, providing an entirely unique virtual experience.”
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Hybrid and virtual events must be immersive and every bit as valuable as in-person events, and allow attendees to network, learn and engage in a way that feels natural.
  • Intuitive interface
  • Ease of customization for event planners
  • Hybrid ready from the start
  • obena010 on 26 Jul 20
     
    A company developed a new software to be able to attend events from the comfort of your home.
Angelica Saez

Hotel Event Planner Roles & Responsibilities | Social Tables - 0 views

www.socialtables.com/...hotel-event-planner

shared by Angelica Saez on 21 Feb 19 - No Cached
  • From the cleaning staff to the catering crew, you’re in charge of all the team members who make the event run smoothly.
  • So you’re going to need some great communication and people skills to shepherd such a large team, especially in the hustle-bustle of high-stakes situations.
  • No events, no job! That’s why planners in this role are also usually in charge of sales and marketing for the property’s event space.
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • Hotel event planners work with their clients to dream up and execute outstanding events that stay in budget and meet expectations.
  • That means you need detailed planning skills, a knack for delegating well, and above all, the ability to multi-task.
  • ou’re going to run plenty of other events that are at night or on weekends. Not to mention no one’s going to be covering for you.
  • From speakers that arrive late, to unexpected food allergies, or guests that didn’t RSVP – there’s always a little something to keep event managers on their toes
  • An event manager is responsible for all of the hotel’s events spaces including dining rooms, conference rooms, large ballrooms, and sometimes even concert venues.
    • Angelica Saez
      Angelica Saez on 21 Jul 20
       
      Being an event planner at a hotel you are responsible for all the hotel events and the event spaces in the hotel. It is important as an event manager to understand all your responsibilities.
  • After all the intensive and detailed planning is done, it’s game time. Event execution is about planning for every situation and implementing the in-the-moment fixes that keep your shindig running full-steam ahead. We’re not going to lie to you: Flawless events are time-consuming and can be high-stress.
  • That means you need to understand the particular features and possibilities that are unique each room. You’ll also have to lay things out and keep them running smoothly.
  • From answering incoming inquiries to networking at local professional events, pros at this position use their marketing and sales savvy to get their venue booked. But be prepared: Hotel’s don’t always have a large budget for print or online advertising. You have to be ready to go out there and shake some hands.
  • Event pros will tell you that the most trying part of the job is managing the unexpected issues that inevitably arise during events.
  • Working as a hotel event planner will introduce you to a wide array of events that’ll stimulate your creativity and test your skills. If that piques your interest, then it might just be the gig for you.
ealmi001

Artificial intelligence is evolving all by itself | Science | AAAS - 1 views

www.sciencemag.org/...telligence-evolving-all-itself

technology Tech

shared by ealmi001 on 04 Jun 20 - No Cached
  • ealmi001 on 04 Jun 20
     
    According to the article Artificial intelligence is evolving all by itself, researchers have created software that borrows concepts from Darwinian evolution, including "survival of the fittest," to build AI programs that improve generation after generation without human input. In recent years, scientists have sped up the process by automating some steps. But these programs still rely on stitching together ready-made circuits designed by humans. That means the output is still limited by engineers' imaginations and their existing biases. The program discovers algorithms using a loose approximation of evolution. It starts by creating a population of 100 candidate algorithms by randomly combining mathematical operations. It then tests them on a simple task, such as an image recognition problem where it has to decide whether a picture shows a cat or a truck. This article was very informative and shows lots technological advances towards artificial intelligence.
sharlabrunsvold

How A Mobile POS System Can Expand Your Business - BNG Point-of-Sale - 1 views

www.bngpos.com/ystem-can-expand-your-business

mobile pos system business

shared by sharlabrunsvold on 01 Jun 20 - No Cached
  • As methods of doing business and customer expectations grow and change, small businesses (and especially independent or locally-owned restaurants) must be ready to meet demand whenever and wherever it exists. Incorporating a mobile point of sale (POS) system into your small business is one of the best ways.
  • Certain mobile POS systems work with larger systems, meaning business owners can monitor updates from their store from their smartphone or tablet.
  • Today, there are dozens of free and paid mobile POS systems to choose from, allowing small business owners to select the right system that best fits their business’ unique needs.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • If your business relies on frequent travel to complete sales, a mobile POS system could be a cost-effective way to streamline your procedures and put your product in the hands of more customers, all while managing the daily operations from the convenience of your phone.
  • sharlabrunsvold on 01 Jun 20
     
    This article discusses why more and more businesses are using mobile point-of-sale systems in 2020. Mobile POS systems can serve a variety of different industries, including the hospitality industry. They provide a convenient way to monitor daily operations from any location. More specifically, they can monitor inventory, employee hours, sales numbers and create custom reports. It also discussed three popular mobile POS systems, which are Payanywhere, Duet and PayPal Here.
mmilian

How the pandemic solidified contactless payment | Mobile payments | Fast Casual - 0 views

www.fastcasual.com/...-solidfied-contactless-payment

shared by mmilian on 08 Jun 20 - No Cached
  • While convenience is still important, the pandemic has put a spotlight on how safe mobile payment is, both from a data security and a public health perspective. 
  • While still popular, cash is falling out of favor as more and more people use credit and debit for even small purchases under $10. And in today's pandemic where cash can be a vehicle for virus transmission, people are even more reluctant to use it. 
  • people who use mobile wallets make purchases at a rate 23% higher than those who pay with physical cash or card, and spend 2.4% more per transaction.  The reason is similar to why people spend more on credit cards than when they use cash — because the money doesn't feel real. 
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • As American businesses begin to reopen, informed consumers will be reluctant to touch shared devices like pinpads and payment terminals, and they won't be enthusiastic about handling cash. Contactless mobile payments will become a necessity for public health. 
  • 69% of restaurant goers find waiting for the check the most frustrating part of the dining experience; on average, it takes 12 minutes to pay from the time a guest requests the bill.  Pay at Table allows guests to pay for their meal when they're ready, on their own time schedule without that waiting period. They do it all from their mobile device. 
  • And when guests have money stored with a brand, visits among these guests increase because they've already made a commitment to keep coming back.
  • NFC payment is likely to increase in popularity, especially in this time when everyone is looking for ways to minimize physical contact throughout the shopping experience.
  • mmilian on 08 Jun 20
     
    This article is about touch less payments after COVID. It focused on three options: Paying at the table, the value touch less POS brings, and Near Field Communications which is used with Google and Apple Pay.
hankunli

Southwest Airlines Expands Booking Access and Content in the GDS to Reach More Business... - 2 views

Summary: This article by Southwest Airlines （SWA for short） and Skift has some vital points to know. First, SWA has improved its cooperation with GDS companies to an "industry-standard level" inste...

hospitality technology solution

started by hankunli on 04 Jun 20 1 follow-up, last by hankunli on 04 Jun 20
jamigovaerts

How Mobile Technology Elevates Hotel Communication and Operations - 1 views

hoteltechreport.com/...l-communication-and-operations

hospitality software technology hotel business Tech travel solution mobile

shared by jamigovaerts on 28 Aug 20 - No Cached
  • Despite the proliferation and availability of mobile technology, many hotel operations continue to rely on outdated methods of team communication. Together, panelists shared ways to improve guest experience in hotels through enhancing operations and employee experience – and that mobile team communication is the definitive catalyst for best delivering on these goals.
  • - Immediate notifications. No more printed out, or pen and paper announcements. - Housekeeping can turn rooms over more quickly. Most guests simply leave in the morning without staff contact. There’s no way of knowing when the room is ready to be cleaned. With faster occupancy updates, the room conversion process is made more efficient. - Improved access of guest information. Real-time, mobile team communication means better personalization of guest experience and management of expectations.
  • There are many lost opportunities in the hospitality industry when it comes to the connection between hotel guests and employees, but investing in employee communication with a mobile team communication appprovides the following benefits. 1. Allows for consistent, daily information sharing across shifts and hotel team 2. Creates a highly-visible platform to illuminate best practices 3. Facilitates recognition of hotel workforce high achievers
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • "The experience at a property makes or breaks a guest’s stay. That experience is dependent on the human interactions with your staff as soon they walk in the door of your hotel. If you set your employees up for success, so that they are happy, engaged, and loyal to your hotel, you stand a much better chance of delighting a guest."
  • Targeted emails, accessible via their mobile device, can then be sent out that offer a customized menu of activities and upgrades at your hotel according to their preferences. Mobile hotel communication systems also give your hotel a distinct brand advantage; consumers view mobile-savvy companies and technologies more favorably.
  • How Mobile Technology Elevates Hotel Communication and Operations
    • jamigovaerts
      jamigovaerts on 28 Aug 20
       
      Module 2 Article: With an emphasis on telecommunications, it is only fitting to focus on mobile communication as referenced in this article. As referenced, this article describes the main advantages to mobile telecommunications between guests and staff. By using immediate notifications through text or email it eliminates the carbon foot print of paper, as well as keeps guests more informed on the hotels offerings. In regards to the staff, the housekeeping team is able to turn over rooms quicker as the technology alerts the staff the guest has left. In addition, these items allow for higher guest satisfaction as the information being collected and shared is consistent among all guest and staff view platforms.
cleon087

How technology is transforming hotel point-of-sale systems | Hotel Management - 3 views

www.hotelmanagement.net/...how-technology-changing-pos

hospitality pos

shared by cleon087 on 20 Jun 18 - No Cached
  • Technology has transformed point of sale into point of experience
  • elf-ordering via their smartphone by the pool or wherever they happen to be and increased guest satisfaction with guest payment
  • Because the staff members have appropriate intelligence readily in their hands, personalization can happen
  • ...21 more annotations...
  • easy to summon service in “non-F&B” areas
  • The card data is processed only by the payment gateway to/from the acquiring bank and only the final transaction approval code is passed to the POS, without the card data
  • The hotel F&B space continues to show growth, with overall consumer spending increasing 4.9 percent in 2017 and showing a robust 5.5-percent annual growth since 2011
  • associated mobile apps have the potential to increase top-line [food-and-beverage] sales in hotels by 5 [percent] to 10 percent without significant costs
  • hotel food-and-beverage revenue per occupied room increased 1.6 percent during 2017. F&B RevPOR reached $105.56, up from $103.93 in 2016, according to STR.
  • POS vendors have moved away from storing card data on their application and network. Many vendors no longer pass through or process any card data on their POS systems. Rather, they link and integrate to certified payment gateways. Payment devices are encrypted and secured, and client card data is always encrypted and totally separated from the POS terminal.
  • Technology is allowing for an extreme and pronounced change in point-of-sale systems
  • Mobile POS provides several benefits for hotels and guests alike. With mobile POS, the speed of service is dramatically increased because the staff can bring mobile ordering directly to guests, anywhere on property
  • POS technology has been a great partner in these efforts by making POS systems easier than ever to use, and mobility plays a role in impacting the increase in consumer spending, Wisell said
  • Call-for-service technology, deployed tableside and in under-serviced areas such as lobbies, coupled with mobile ordering apps, offer hotels an opportunity to increase sales
  • Mobile POS also lays the groundwork for future integration with artificial intelligence or customer-relationship-management systems.
  • “Hotels can spend millions of dollars on a remodel but if they don’t have the right point of experience, it can still result in a one- or two-star rating,” he said.
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 27 Jun 20
       
      This shows that importance of POS, and how it can transform a business for the good or bad.
  • Mobile is now
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 27 Jun 20
       
      People are starting to expect this, they even want more of a variety of different ways to pay that can be determining if you get business or not.
  • Hinojosa said
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 27 Jun 20
       
      Were always looking for a way to make the experience more personalized and this is one way.
  • with
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 27 Jun 20
       
      When guest get their food quicker and accurately this helps the experience and revenue.
  • they are the face of the property
  • u recognize them and are honored they are here with you again.”
  • “Whenever a guest is seated in the lobby and wants a take-away coffee, they can order one and not only when a staff member notices the guest in a restaurant,
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 27 Jun 20
       
      This is really good because it is hard as a front desk agent to give attention to the guest since the moment they step in but with this they can request their snack or drink that they want.
  • While there is interest in the potential of AI and chatbots for roomservice and self-service ordering, these are not yet ready for a widespread rollout at this time, Wisell said.  
  • “Data scientists can be used in the back of the house on the kitchen side, too—optimizing the production line,” he said. “Looking at the analytics behind the performance will reduce the wait times in the front of the house.”
    • cleon087
      cleon087 on 27 Jun 20
       
      This will optimize performance
  • hotels don’t want to cross the line into creepy.
  • anonymous on 20 Jun 18
     
    Mobile POS has boosted F&B growth due to the ability to complete sales much faster and from non-F&B serviced areas of the property. The mobility contributes greatly to the increase in customer spending. With this mobility, companies must ensure compliance with PCI standards, and ensure that no credit card information is stored directly on the POS terminal. The article also touches on the subject of tokenization, and the usage of technology to secure a "token" rather than actual card data aids in reducing security risks.
  • ...4 more comments...
  • aycasa on 25 Jun 18
     
    This article was about how technology has had a great influence on point of sale systems within the hospitality industry. According to a senior director of product manager at Agilysys, Mike Hinojosa, he states that technology has transformed point of sale into point of experience. I personally agree with this because lately I expect hotels to have the latest in technology when it comes to POS and when I encounter a poor POS I automatically think they lack in providing the best for their guests. This article talks a lot about how mobile POS provide benefits for both parties and how it has increased guest satisfaction. "With mobile POS, the speed of service is dramatically increased because the staff can bring mobile ordering directly to guests, anywhere on property." According to this article, POS systems help boost F&B spending growth and they have become more secure throughout the years. "The hotel F&B space continues to show growth, with overall consumer spending increasing 4.9 percent in 2017 and showing a robust 5.5-percent annual growth since 2011, according to Technomic". It's said that mobile POS has helped F&B growth because it gives users the ability to into quicker sales and in different areas throughout the properties. For example, a waiter walking around a pool taking orders instead of having the guests walk to the poolside bar to place an order. Collecting payment has also become safer and easier with POS systems because of the PCI standards.
  • chinneegyyal on 02 Oct 18
     
    Technology is allowing for an extreme and pronounced change in point-of-sale systems. The speed of service for the guest in a hotel has dramatically went up because of point of scale systems. It is more convenient and quicker for guests to get things or to order things.
  • zxu009 on 24 Apr 19
     
    This article is about the employment of technology in the hospitality industry.
  • anonymous on 03 Jun 19
     
    This article is about how technology is transforming the POS experience by providing a more advanced security solution and a mobile platform. The article highlights how this new technology supports both the client and staff experience. The technology also provides a financial benefit in increasing sales by 5% and reducing cost by 10%.
  • jeanique13 on 19 Jun 20
     
    POS Technology has developed majorly over the past years. Growing developing offering mobile devices that can help workers pace themselves and generate more sales. These programs also offer extra data security to protect the clients information against fraud. This device is perfect for sport arenas, bar, golf course and more open outdoor and large venues that cater to voluminous crowds.
  • cleon087 on 27 Jun 20
     
    This article is about the benefits of technology in POS systems. It shows how the technology can personalize the experience of the guest by having them be able to order from the moment they step into the lobby. The article also discusses how all the technology is good but in the hospitality we are walking on a fine line that we don't want to cross to creepy with biometrics. Technology offers efficiency in speed and will give a better experience. Not only this but it talks about how POS is becoming more secure, and how people want to pay in different ways.
sharlabrunsvold

Marriott International Commits to Continued Innovation in Hotel Guest-facing Technologi... - 1 views

hoteltechnologynews.com/...otel-guest-facing-technologies

international innovation hotel technologies

shared by sharlabrunsvold on 07 Jun 20 - No Cached
  • The Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest were replaced in February with the launch of the Marriott Bonvoy app. The app was designed to make it even easier for people to search and book hotels across Marriott’s portfolio of 6,700 participating hotels across 30 brands in 130 countries, engage in mobile check-in (with an alert sent when the room is ready), use mobile key (in select hotels) to enter the room, submit mobile requests for service and amenities, and chat with representatives before, during, and after their stay.
  • The app also uses chatbots, enabling guests to ask questions, make simple requests, and receive instant responses.
  • Sorenson makes it clear that Marriott remains committed to adopted innovative technologies and digital capabilities that enhance the guest experience.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • The company also seems to understand, as discussed here, that technological advancements will never replace face-to-face human interaction. Rather, technology can help free up hotel staff to better serve its guests through more relevant and personalized experiences.
  • Given all this, it’s no surprise that Marriott International has received widespread accolades for its technology innovation and, in fact, was ranked as the only hotel company in the top-25 list for the past two years on Forbes World’s Most Innovative Companies
  • sharlabrunsvold on 07 Jun 20
     
    Marriott International has become successful in using technology to improve the guest experience. They have launched a considerable number of high-profile technology-enabled initiatives including the Marriott Bonvoy app, ChatBotlr, Alexa for Hospitality, and Realy robots. Marriott, however, emphasizes that technological advancements should not replace face-to-face interaction. Although these technological advancements were able to replace members of their hotel staff, the staff's duties were altered to provide personalized experiences with the guests instead.
marble_bird

The Concept of Comprehensive Tracking Software to Support Sustainable Tourism in Protec... - 0 views

shared by marble_bird on 25 May 20 - No Cached
  • Visitor management of protected areas [1–3] is supposed to keep the tourism intensity below the area limits while respecting the needs of the local economy and community as a multi-faceted goal of participative management [4]. It requires reliable, comprehensive, and detailed data about tourism intensity, including its impacts and practical methods and tools to exploit the data for the purpose of visitor management
  • Visitor management of protected areas [1–3] is supposed to keep the tourism intensity below the area limits while respecting the needs of the local economy and community as a multi-faceted goal of participative management [4]. It requires reliable, comprehensive, and detailed data about tourism intensity, including its impacts and practical methods and tools to exploit the data for the purpose of visitor management
  • At first, a literature review (Section 2) is conducted in the areas of tourism impacts, tourism sustainability , visitor management, tourism modelling and simulations, visitor monitoring and tracking, and the utilization of data about visitors. Specific attention is paid to the promising method of individual tracking, its variants, and the challenges related to its deployment.
  • ...30 more annotations...
  • The LAC method [12,13], the carrying capacity [2,4,8,10,14–18], tourism sustainability indicators [8,10,19], or visitor management models [2,4,11] are some of the theoretical concepts and methods which the protected area visitor management may use to assess the effects of tourism and tourism infrastructure construction and maintenance.
  • isitor counts can be used to form a model reflecting the dynamics of the destination system, allowing visitor flow simulations
  • However, the quality of such models is critically dependent on the extent, quality, and readiness of the entry data [21]. The use of real-time data in models of destination systems is not common
  • Individual tracking methods are based on satellite positioning (e.g., The Global Positioning System known as GPS, or Galileo), active mobile positioning, Bluetooth positioning, Wi-Fi positioning, or indirect monitoring based on geocoded social media, or photo databases
  • Visitor management of a protected area requires tourism impact estimates depending on its intensity (step 1). Estimates of proportions of various visitor categories depending on days of the week, holidays, weather, or season, or other factors together with expert estimates of specific impacts of these categories of visitors are available
  • The use of visitor monitoring methods is a common part of visitor management practice, however, monitoring is often not implemented
  • systematically enough and data is often available with a significant delay (for example, from oine people counters installed in the terrain or when using data from mobile operators), making the assessment of the destination system state in real-time impossible
  • Correct and ecient data integration requires a systematic and consistent approach. However, a relevant methodology for the utilization of heterogeneous data is not available, which may be one of the reasons why comprehensive visitor monitoring is so rare.
  • the universally applicable concept of an intelligent tour guide for visitor tracking and for visitor characteristics acquisition are introduced in the results section of the manuscript. The ongoing experimental implementation of the proposed concept is mentioned, and relevant challenges are discussed at the end.
  • Gradually, five representatives and experts from protected area management, six destination organization experts, and four geopark experts were involved. None of the protected area experts involved in the research had any previous experience with systematic visitor data integration or with using the concept of the intelligent software tour guide.
  • The brainstorming and focus group were used to raise new ideas, and the Delphi method was used to reach a consensus when needed.
  • The knowledge gathered from experts served as an input for systems analysis, leading to the design of a computer program—an intelligent tour guide for each involved protected area. Namely, use cases, functional requirements, and other characteristics of the software were identified and discussed.
  • Because meaningful visitor flow and visitor impact modelling require suciently comprehensive and accurate data [21], systematic exploitation of all available relevant heterogeneous data about visitors (collected by a variety of methods, each with its specific limitations, e.g., visitor profiles, numbers of sold tickets, counts from sensors, space-time curves of individual visitors) is a recommended [36] and cost-e ective approach.
  • Thus, attention should be paid to the categorization of visitors, including their needs, motivations, limitations, and the resulting patterns of behavior. Such analysis may help to reveal which categories of visitors are desired, e.g., because of their positive impact on the local economy, and which should rather be discouraged from coming
  • The concept is meant to be generic enough to fit a variety of geographic areas (size, protected features of the local nature, local community , tourism intensity , division of roles in participative management between organizations, etc.)
  • The intelligent tour guide has to be:
  • Reliable, accessible, compatible.
  • Personalized.
  • Location-sensitive.
  • Destination-system-aware.
  • Interactive and collaborative.
  • Dialogue-wise.
  • Decently gamified.
  • Regarding human factors, the potential of individual visitor tracking to provide rich and valuable data may be hindered by the low motivation to participate [21,50,51]. Low participation may limit the usability of the resulting data and negatively a ect the e ects of possible attempts to influence the flow of visitors.
  • From the technical side, active mobile positioning provides spatially accurate data collected with a sucient sampling rate, for example, compared to passive localization data automatically recorded by mobile operators. However, still, the low satellite signal in rocks or under the canopy of a dense forest in combination with less-sensitive mobile devices may a ect the quality of the data and even the function of the tour guide.
  • Regarding the interpretation of the resulting data, the bias caused by the selection of participants and the willingness and fitness of members of di erent visitor groups has to be considered. Also, individual tracking may have an unintended influence on visitors’ movement and behavior [49], though the impact and resulting bias is usually acceptably low
  • Ethically and legally acceptable data collection may require the acquisition of informed consent from each participant.
  • An inadequate budget can lead to compromises, e.g., in the project management, analysis, or implementation, a ecting the compatibility, reliability, or usability of the program, or the quality and extent of the underlying model and the set of descriptive data.
  • Experimental verification of the individual tracking method, supplemented by visitors’ feelings and experiences by means of an intelligent tour guide operated in the context of a complex destination application, currently takes place in all involved areas. The application is being carefully designed in harmony with all recommended principles. Namely, a clear distinction is being made between the universal part of the application and area-specific models, configurations, deployment choices, or custom pieces of code.
  • The research team is looking for other possibilities of verifying the concept presented elsewhere in the Czech Republic and the world. Further research will reveal if the concept is truly generally applicable, as hypothesized, or not.
  • marble_bird on 25 May 20
     
    This article covers the research behind and design of software implemented in the Czech Republic to monitor visitor activity in protected areas. The software is designed to act as a "tour guide" and keeps track of visitors through satellite positioning. The article discusses the process by which this software would be developed, rationale for its implementation, and consumer data that may be collected through this process that would benefit National Parks and other protected areas. Theoretical questions in regard to human interaction, privacy concerns, and effectiveness of the application in low-service areas are discussed. Though the application requires more research and strict attention to variables, its implementation worldwide could change how sustainable tourism is managed and would provide important information on consumer habits in protected areas.
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